Robins Executive Speaker Series - Artificial Intelligence Panel

Schedule

September 25, 2025

6 p.m. | Program
7 p.m. | Networking Reception

About 

Moderated by Dean Mickey Quiñones, the discussion will explore how AI is reshaping the labor market, influencing company hiring practices, and redefining the skills employees need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.

Panelists will share perspectives on the opportunities and challenges organizations face as they integrate AI into their operations, offering valuable insights for both business leaders and students preparing for the future of work.

This panel reflects the University of Richmond’s commitment to bridging liberal arts and business through a collaboration between the Robins School and the Center for Liberal Arts and AI (CLAAI).

Panelists include:

Jantzen Bridges

Jantzen Bridges, '01
Partner/Principal | Customer Technology, EY

Jantzen Bridges has more than 20 years of experience driving business growth for global consulting firms by helping clients navigate their most critical business transformations enabled by technology.  As the leader of EY’s Studio+ technology, Jantzen focuses on attracting and growing a diverse, inclusive and innovative team of consultants who stay ahead of customer experience trends, harness new thinking and accelerators, and ultimately help clients attract and retain more customers.  Jantzen enjoys building collaborative relationships and deploying strategies that drive productivity, improve customer satisfaction, and leverage technology to improve the human experience. Jantzen is a 2001 graduate of University of Richmond. 
John Failla Headshot

 

John Failla, '15
CEO & Founder, Pearl

John Failla is the CEO and Founder of Pearl, a leading research-based, tutoring ecosystem. Inspired by his experience as a struggling student and the positive impact created by his high-
school tutor, John built the proprietary Pearl platform in 2019 to help his tutoring company scale, while keeping relationships at the core. Pearl prioritizes relationships by uniting teaching with technology, helping relationship-based educators and students achieve meaningful and measurable success.

Today, John is on a mission to create equitable access to relationship-based education that is impactful, scalable and sustainable. Pearl is the platform provider behind many of the nation's largest community-based, tutoring initiatives including Arkansas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Virginia, with the Ecosystem bringing together the most progressive and respected education
organizations including the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford University. John is a 2015 graduate of University of Richmond.
Will Melton

Will Melton
CEO, Xponent21

Will Melton is CEO of Xponent21, founder of AI Ready RVA, and a
leading voice in AI SEO—frequently surfacing at the top of AI-
generated rankings of U.S. and global experts and agencies. He
partners with high-stakes leaders to engineer communications systems that win AI search, build magnetic brands, and create media momentum. Applying this model first to his own firm fueled rapid growth; now he delivers it for clients. A civic catalyst, Will chairs Housing Families First, serves on the boards of ChamberRVA and Leadership Metro Richmond, and was named to Style Weekly’s 2024 Top 40 Under 40 and Virginia Business’s 100 People to Meet in 2025. He speaks on AI search leadership, brand positioning, and the new rules of visibility, equipping organizations to lead in the era of generative AI.